Why is my Mom always hungry?

Thankfully she's okay with, "you just ate, mom." She will say, "oh I forgot." Once she has her breakfast I try to pace her eating to every two hours or so...giving her healthy snacks like fresh fruit in between her regular meals. I guess I'm on the right track! Thank you pamstegma and jeannegibbs!

Your mom is always hungry now because her brain isn't working right, and this is one of the ways it is malfunctioning now. Our brains control pretty much all of our body processes such as when we feel tired, when we are hungry, if we feel cold or hot, if we notice we need to relieve our bladders -- everything!

The not remembering she just ate is extremely common. My mother can say "I'm waiting for them to take my lunch order" when the dirty dishes from her lunch are still sitting in front of her! If we say, "Well, Mom, I think you've had your lunch. Should we go for a walk now, and if you are hungry when we get back we'll find a snack for you?" she is generally OK with that.

How does your mother react when you suggest she wait a little while for a snack? If she accepts that and can be distracted, no problem. If she insists she wants to eat right now and why are you being so mean, then perhaps keeping lots of snacks on hand would be useful. Can she eat nuts? A bowl of in-the-shell peanuts would give her something to do for a while, as well as something to eat. A Popsicle would also last a little while and contribute toward hydration. A handful of cherries, if she can be relied on to spit out the pits.

This won't last forever, either. As long as she isn't gaining a lot of weight or messing up a diabetic blood sugar problem, I'd just go with the flow.

Alzheimer's is just a name for one kind of dementia. There are about 50 kinds total. But whatever kind she has and whatever stage she is in, you have to deal with the symptoms she is exhibiting now.

One day at a time!

Great! Just don't over feed her or she will throw up!